This airplane achieved the goal of flying around the world non-stop without refueling. Stuffed inside this tiny cockpit, Dick Rutan and Jeanna Yeager accomplished the goal in a little over 9 days.

Using composite materials, designer Burt Rutan built an airplane that weighed less than a thousand pounds, however its gross weight at take-off fully fueled was over nine thousand pounds. The flight began with over seven thousand pounds of fuel and ended with only a hundred and forty pounds of fuel remaining.

Crammed into this tiny cockpit one pilot would fly the plane while the other rested. Neither pilot got much rest and the difficult trip proved physically and emotionally draining, while ground crews encouraged the pilots and meteorologists from around the world helped steer them clear of weather. A truly amazing test of man and machine’s endurance.